The 2006 added it’s own special flare with gas leaks due to cracks in the “return portion of the modular reservoir assembly.” A recall of 2006 Cobalts was issued to fix the problem, but only to vehicles sold in or current registered in Arizona and Nevada, leaving other owners to pay for repairs themselves.
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 25 to 30 mph on normal road conditions the "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. Immediately, there was a loss of power steering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road which required higher effort to turn the steering wheel. The engine was turned off including the illumination of warning light indicator. The vehicle was restarted and resumed normal operation. The identical failures occurred on a separate occasion. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 43,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 55 mph on the highway, the power steering light illuminated and within a second the power steering failed. He was unable to turn the steering wheel to the left or right and then he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle will be repaired. He contacted the manufacturer a report was taken; however, no assistance was offered. The vehicle will be repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 66,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 35 mph the power steering light flashed on the dashboard and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact turned the vehicle off and then restarted it to reset the power steering. The failure has occurred intermittently. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact is concerned that there are no related recalls for his year, make and model vehicle. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 24,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 50 mph the power steering light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle began shaking uncontrollably. The contact was able to drive home safely without any power steering. The contact has called the manufacturer regarding this issue. The contact is concerned about the risk involved when the power steering failure occurred. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Out of nowhere while driving down the highway "power steering" appears on my display and the power steering goes out. I was able to pull over and shut the car off. When I turned it back on the power steering was fine and then after less than 2 minutes the same thing happened. I have been searching the internet and have found several complaints about the exact same problem with Chevy Cobalts. Estimated price to fix this problem is $2000. There is now reason this shouldn't be a recall when there are so many owners that are experiencing the exact same issue. This system failure is very dangerous and something needs to be done and fast.
- Otsego, MN, USA
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As I was going down the highway the powersteering of my car went out. I couldn't move it or turn it. Pulled to the side and turn it off and turn it on again and as soon as I put it in to drive it locked it self again.
Power steering light came on in vehicle and steering wheel get tight and will not turn. I was told by the dealer that this is a continuous problem with all cheverolet Cobalts....I feel that GM should be responsible for fixing this problem not the customer...my teenage daughter was driving when it went out on her car and by the grace of god she did not have an accident and got killed.
In my 2006 Chevy Cobalt ss with 82,000 miles the electric power steering will appear on the dash and then my steering completely goes. This has happened atleast 20 times this week and is getting worse. I brought it in to a garage that said they did an analysis and nothing is wrong. There is obviously a problem. When this occurs I need to turn my car off and then on but the steering will go again in time. This is dangerous.
Strong fuel odor during operation and after turning off engine on a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. Research shows this is a common problem with this make/model. Several owners report similar problems. Spoke to GM, they claim no open recalls or service bulletins exist. Owners have reported the problem being cause by defective fuel pump assemblies. Again GM refuses to take action. This among other defects on these cars is a perfect example of consumers being but in danger by faulty vehicles. Since GM refuses to acknowledge the problems with there vehicles government intervention in the case is a must.
I was driving down the road in my 2006 Chevy Cobalt. Without warning the power steering goes out. The power steering light pops on the dash and then it is gone. When you shut the car off the power steering comes back for a short period of time. This occurs everytime I drive it now. My car only has 48000 miles on it. When it goes out it is very hard to steer and control your turns. After reading all the complaints online about this problem with the Cobalt surely there should be a recall. So far nothing has been done to correct the problem.
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt power steering frequently goes out. The warning code states power steering failure, at this time all power steering is lost. We took the car to GM service and they said their diagnostic test show no problems, so they refuse to work on the car. Car is now park, because we are afraid to drive it. Car only have 22,169 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 5 mph, the power steering light illuminated and the steering wheel locked. He was able to slow down and turn the vehicle off. After a few minutes he turned the vehicle on, the power steering failed and the steering locked again. The dealer stated that they could not do anything for him since his warranty expired. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 80100 and the current mileage was 90300.
I purchased a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, at the end of August 09. Since then, it has been in the shop for knocking sounds in the front end that altered the brake from functioning properly over 4 times. The dealer could not always replicate it, therefore it was not fixed. Eventually the noise stopped, then a few months ago the key got stuck in the ignition several times, and finally the shifter had to be replaced. At this point I haven't even owned the vehicle for 5 months, and now a few days ago the power steering shut off in the middle of driving. I pulled over the best I could shut the vehicle off and restarted it. Everything reset and it was fine. Yesterday the event occurred on an exit ramp of a high way and nearly killed me. Once again its back in the shop. This car is a death trap, I'm lucky I was not killed. This is a serious problem and forums all over have people with the same problem. I bought this car because I believed it was safe, and now I'm terrified to drive it by any means. The dealerships aren't any help, they assure the problems are fixed when they really are not.
The contact owns 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 60 mph on normal road conditions the "power steering" warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Immediately, there was a loss of power steering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road which required higher effort to turn the steering wheel. The engine was turned off as a result of the warning indicator. The vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was inspected by at an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was contributed to the power steering module. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 2/22/10 the dealer replaced the steering column and motor. Updated 06/17/19
Electronic power steering failure. 99% of driving time is without power steering. Received estimate to repair; re-manufactured part is $900 plus labor to remove old and replace part. Still paying monthly on car and can't afford the repair.
I halve a 2006 Chevy Cobalt and the power steering keeps going out..it happens randomly. This is a common problem...why is GM not recalling this problem? with the economy we cant afford to fix this problem. It is there problem to have safe cars on the roads and trust me this is not safe...we need to get something done with this immediately..
Re: 2006 Chevy Cobalt (purchased June 29, 2006) while traveling home on christmas eve, the power steering alarm beeped and immediately the power steering was disabled and it became difficult to steer the car. It started after around about 45 minutes of continuous driving.the car has to be restarted to regain power steering and the problem (disabling of power steering) returns after about 30 minutes of driving. Due to financial situations the car hasn't been taken to a dealer for repairs. Diagnostics costs will be $91, to check sensors which dealer stated was most likely the issue.
I own a 2006 Chevy Cobalt and on a recent trip my powering steering goes out and the power steering light comes on. When car is shut off and started again it returns to normal. Had to do this 3 times on a 20 mile trip. No action has been done yet since it has just occurred but saw online where many Cobalt owners are having the same problem.
The power steering intermittently stops and I don't have power steering at all. It takes a quick reaction on my part or I loss control of the vehicle. It does this without warning, but then the warning light comes on to indicate power steering. It left me stranded once. I feel it is a safety issue and it could be a hazard if I was driving in our busy rush hour traffic and it decides to go out. I have called Chevrolet myself to inquire about recalls after reading many reviews online. I have also talked to a couple of local Chevrolet dealerships and they informed me that they are electronic power steering and not fluid driven vehicles. Both places told me they have replaced a lot of them in the 2006 Cobalts, even recently. Chevrolet themselves just typed in my complaint for review and they would see if any other complaints have been made regarding this same type of vehicle. I fear that my daughters life is at risk driving this car, but still needs to go to work. There may not have been any injuries or deaths this time, but how many will it take before they place a recall on this issue?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Morgantown , WV, USA